The cards are falling in favour of Gladstone to become a major player in the new economy as a renewable energy manufacturing centre. 

The Queensland government has both officially announced the opening of Fortescue Energy’s major hydrogen industry manufacturing project in the city and given approvals for the next stage to commence.

The Miles Government held a cabinet meeting at Fortescue’s Gladstone Electrolyser Facility to mark the occasion.

It’s the first manufacturing facility in Australia to build hydrogen electrolysers at a commercial scale and one of the largest globally the state government said.

The facility is the first stage of a wider Green Energy Manufacturing Centre being developed by Fortescue on the 100-hectare site located on the Aldoga Industrial Estate in the Gladstone State Development Area.

It has an initial production capacity of over two (2) gigawatts a year which significantly increases current global production, the state government said.

At full capacity it will be enough to produce more than 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen each year, it said.

The next phase is a 50MW green hydrogen production facility called PEM50 which has received development approval from Queensland’s Coordinator General, paving the way for construction to begin.

PEM50 will use the locally made Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolysers with approval to produce green hydrogen for local and export markets. 

It will be the first commercial scale green hydrogen facility for Fortescue.

Fortescue’s Gladstone Electrolyser Facility was not only a Queensland first, but also an Australian first said Premier Steven Miles.

“It will be by far Australia’s largest manufacturer of hydrogen electrolysers and one of the largest in the world,” Mr Miles said.

“Queensland is now leading the nation on investment in renewable energy, and we are now seeing that translate into good manufacturing jobs in our regions”.  

“The Miles Government is proud to have worked alongside Fortescue over the past three years to deliver one of Australia’s leading hydrogen industry projects.

This facility would position Gladstone as a leading Australian manufacturer of green energy technology, said Fortescue Energy CEO Mark Hutchinson.

“The world is looking for solutions to decarbonise, and green hydrogen has a major role to play in this,” Mr Hitchinson said. 

“As the demand for green hydrogen grows, so too will the demand for the electrolysers needed to produce it.

“This facility, delivered and commissioned in less than two years and with one of the only automated production lines of its kind, is a demonstration of what is possible when governments and business work together in the interests of our economy and our environment.”

Collectively, the two Fortescue projects will generate 240 jobs during construction and 93 ongoing local operational jobs. Fortescue estimates that as the energy precinct continues to develop, more than 300 indirect local jobs will also be supported.

The state government has supported the project by an electrical sub-station, road network, communications, local scheme water connection and the allocation of land.

Hydrogen is diverse and can be used in a range of ways including transport fuel, for industrial heating, and as a feedstock for other chemicals such as methanol.